Two years after Windows 11’s release, the OS has unseated Windows 10 as the most-used OS for PC gaming. This is a major achievement for Windows 11 which featured in 2021 and is gradually establishing its dominance in the gaming industry.
Windows 11 Wins the Gaming Race: Surpasses Windows 10 for the First Time
What used to be Windows 10’s stronghold, gaming, has also been dropping in the latest quarter. This trend might have been accelerated by Microsoft’s decision announce that it will cease supporting Windows 10 in October 2025 in order to persuade gamers to upgrade to the latest operating system.
New statistics point to W11 user share among Steam users at 49% in August up from 46% in July earlier this year. This 3% increase show a tendency of the gamers to move to the latest Windows version.
On the other hand, the Windows 10 utilization in steam has reduced to 47% which is about 3% less than before. Such shift can be explained by the fact that gamers transitioned to Windows 11 in general.
Popularity statistics of macOS and Linux in Steam users haven’t changed a lot throughout August. Again, these operating systems have not experienced a lot of shift in terms of users unlike what has been observed in the Windows operating systems.
With the increased use of Windows 11, and the decreased use of Windows 10, Microsoft seems to be going in the right direction. The trend suggests that more and more people will engage Windows 11 in gaming in the future.
Windows 11's Rapid Rise: From 23% Market Share to 400 Million Devices in Just Two Years
In another domain, web usage of Windows 11 is observed to increase in the last one year. However, at the end of July 2023, this operation system had market share of nearly 23%. It shot up to nearly 32% by August 2024 thus showing how much it has become accepted and used by users. Further, it also indicates the gradual rise in the competitiveness and standing of Windows 11 in general OS market.
Earlier this month, Windows 11 leaked data showed that the operating systems were installed on more than 400 million devices. This fast growth is a complete opposite to the case of Windows 10 that has taken only 10 years to achieve as much numbers. The fast-growing market for Windows 11 shows the system’s advantages and the need for a new update that has made users switch to a new version faster.
Therefore the increase of the Windows 11 as a part of the operating systems market share is a evident sign of the growing presence of Windows 11 within the sphere of modern technologies. With the ever increasing number of devices and users adopting the new OS, it’s impact on usage of the web remains on the rise. Such trend lines indicate that Windows 11 is supplying customers’ demands and gaining its share in a competitive environment.
It has been quite similar to Windows 10 adoption timeline which is rather paradoxical. Whereas, Windows 10 had taken a more elongated time to reach 400 million devices, Windows 11 has reached this very mark in a relatively much swift course. This rapid growth Windows 11 indicates the product’s market acceptance and the product’s influence in defining the existing technology landscape.
The upgrade requirements obviously helped Windows 11 to reach another milestone of 400 million devices in such a short time. It has been developed to support new generation hardware and technology which makes the new OS to be essential to user who want current technology. It is for these reasons and particularly due to the emphasis on compatibility and performance that its usage has most probably received welcoming boost.
Notably, the results reveal increasing importance of the Windows 11 market share. Thus, slowly and gradually Windows 11 is expanding its horizon and has a large user base and therefore it can be probably called an important contender in the operating system market. Its performance as well as adoption patterns indicate the future prospects and growth of this software as it expands on the needs of the user.
Windows 11’s Tough Hardware Demands vs. Windows 10’s Upgrade Freedom: What’s Next for Support and Costs?
At the time when it was released in October of 2021 together with Windows 11, Microsoft set strict hardware requirements. Also on a list of requirements: TPM security chip and processors no older than from the year 2018. Although the upgrade to Windows 11 was from Windows 10 which has been free, the new requirements for the hardware required needed upgrade which was unattainable by most older devices hence reduction in the expansion of the reach of Windows 11.
On the other hand, Windows 10 is much more lenient and did not take any measures against unauthorized upgrade to Windows 10. Free upgrade was possible via this update from Windows 7 and Windows 8 for the user with not much constraints on the desired hardware. What this made possible was that it prepared the way for millions of users that could upgrade without having to buy new equipment.
This has been the case due to the upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 that has prescribed a number of specifications. what was intended to improve security and performance, the problems of hardware restrictions appear for users with older generations of devices. On the contrary, compared with Windows 10 that supports more program types, such measures embody a narrower compatibility but more convenient for users in the transition.
In the future, after release of October 2025, Microsoft had laid down the plans of enforcing the Windows 10 support for its users. Those organizations that want to maintain working under the obsolete version will be billed, as Microsoft changed the manner of offering the extended support. This one is a turning point in the company’s organizational plan of how to deal with its operating systems.
Consumers will now be allowed to pay for extra security update for Windows 10 which has never been witnessed in past. This strategy is meant to ensure constant protection is rendered even after the programme is closed. But you have to note that details of the expenses to businesses have not been specified which means that there could be questions on the future costs.
Microsoft’s strategy to support Operating systems shows Microsoft’s push towards urging computer users to update to the newer version. This way, Microsoft has led consumers to adopt newer technology by setting higher bar for Windows 11 and changing its support model to paid upgrade for Windows 10.
